Cursed Blessing
by Woodsballer
Summary: After an experiment goes wrong, a girl begins turning into Pokemon. How long can she keep it a secret? Shaiya Chronicles 1. OCXOC COMPLETE My all-time most-read story: 17K hits.
1. Chapter 1

All in One

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything in here. It all belongs to whoever made "Pokemon."**

**Disclaimer Disclaimer: I do own the OCs and theme. Any resemblance to real life people or things is completely coincidence.**

**A/N: Sorry, but I haven't kept up with the series that much, so this only includes the first generation places and Pokemon.**

**Cursed Blessing**

**Chapter 1:**

**The Journey Begins**

Sarah Adams looked at the tiny pill in her hand. It was blue and about half an inch long. She looked back up at Prof. Oak. "What is this supposed to do again?"

"Well, if it works, you should be able to talk to any Pokemon you encounter." Oak let out a smile. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to, dear."

She looked back at the pill. The professor had told her many times about the possible risks; inability of some senses and slight brain damage were only a few. But being able to talk to Pokemon? It could be worth it. She thought of her own Pokemon, a Bulbasaur she had gotten only minutes before. The arguments tumbled in her head. With a quick inhale, she popped the pill and swallowed. "Now what?"

"Now we wait. It will take a day or two before the pill takes effect. You can go on with your journey, if you wish, and call me with any developments."

Sarah stood up and shook Prof. Oak's hand. He was a nice man. She had known him most of her life. She lived in a small house a few miles off of Pallet Town. Ash Ketchum, the famous trainer, was actually a friend of hers from several years ago.

She walked out and breathed in the fresh air. Spring was only a few days old and the weather was perfect to start her new adventure. With a swift motion, Sarah pulled out her pokeball and released the creature within. Bulbasaur landed a few feet in front of her. "Bulba!"

"You ready to go?" she asked.

"Bulba bulba!" he answered with a happy nod. The two walked side-by-side north toward the next town. It would take them till the next day to arrive, but Sarah had thought ahead and packed a sleeping bag and food for both of them.

They walked until their legs ached. Finding a shady tree, the two sat and watched the sun set as they ate their food, a sandwich for her and pokefood for Bulbasaur.

Sarah thought back to the first day. They hadn't seen a single Pokemon, which was weird. She was hoping to catch a Pidgey.

She finished her sandwich and stood up. "Let's get some training in before it gets too dark."

Bulbasaur jumped up, ready to go.

"Now let's find something to use." She looked up into the tree and saw several big, red apples. "Those will work," she said with a smile.

The two ran out a little ways and turned around. Sarah pointed up at the apples. "Use Vine Whip!"

"Bulba!" Two vines grew out of Bulbasuar's sides and flew at the tree. With sharp cracks, they struck several apples in turn, knocking them to the ground.

Sarah quickly ran over and collected the apples then turned back. With a quick throw, she threw an apple in a line drive. "Tackle!"

Bulbasaur quickly ran over and smacked the apple with his head. It flew off into the trees.

Sarah threw the rest of the apples and Bulbasaur hit almost every one. "Not bad for a first day."

The sun finished setting as the two fell against the tree again. Bulbasaur gave out a wide yawn and fell asleep. Sarah saw him and laughed. "Your right. We should get some sleep." She pulled out Bulbasaur's ball and called him back before laying out her sleeping bag. She slipped inside and fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

Deep into the night, something inside Sarah's stomach began to swirl and change as she slept.

Sarah looked around frustrated. She couldn't find the Gym, even after half an hour of searching.

She had gotten to Viridian City earlier that morning. The first look had taken her breathe away. It was much larger than Pallet Town. Several buildings stretched up until they appeared to touch the clouds. She spent several minutes simply wandering before she set out to find the Gym.

As so, here she is, searching for the elusive building. She had bought a map, but it wasn't helping much. She twisted it this way and that way, trying to find some kind of usable landmark. "No, that isn't it."

"Um, excuse me," a voice said from behind her.

She turned to see a young man about her age standing behind her. He wore a blue t-shirt and long jeans. His hair was black and spiked. His eyes were a green contrast to his shirt, but Sarah couldn't help but thinking how well he looked.

"You have a map. Could you point me towards the Pokemon Gym?"

Sarah just then noticed the three poke balls attached to his belt. "Sorry, but I haven't got a clue where it is. Or where I am, for that matter."

"If you don't mind, may I take a look at the map?"

She nodded and handed the map over. He looked down, glanced up at his surroundings and looked back down. After a moment, he dropped that map and pointed to the east. "It's that way." He handed the map back. "Thanks so much. Adios."

"Wait." The boy turned around and looked at her, causing her to blush a bit. "Would you mind if I tagged along? I'm heading for the gym as well."

The boy smiled. "No problem. Name's Luke."

"I'm Sarah. Nice to meet you, Luke."

"Likewise." The two turned and walked along the sidewalk, talking as they went. Sarah found out that Luke was from the Jhoto region, but moved him when his father's job got transferred. He was now going on his own Pokemon journey.

Eventually, the gym stood over them. Sadly, a sign on the door read "Closed Temporarily." Luke went up and banged on the door. "Crap. I hate it when people do this."

Sarah touched his shoulder. "Calm down. So it's closed. We'll just go to another gym and come back later."

Luke gave the door a soft kick before he turned away. "So where do we go from here?"

Sarah thought. "If I remember correctly, Pewter City is north on the other side of the Viridian Forest."

"Great. Then let's head that way."

Suddenly an old man ran up behind them. "Did you say you were going to the Forest?" he asked in a very tired and scared tone.

The two turned. "Yeah," Sarah answered. "Why do ask?"

"My grandson. He went into the woods yesterday for a quick hike and hasn't been seen since."

"How horrible!" Sarah gasped.

"I'm worried sick, but I don't have the strength to go and find him. Could you please find him for me? I would be so grateful."

Luke shook his head. "Sorry, but we haven't got time. We're on our way to the next town and won't be coming back."

"Oh, come on, Luke," Sarah protested. "We've got to do something. We can't just leave a boy out there alone!" She looked into his eyes, trying to be as penetrating as possible.

He finally broke down. "Fine we'll help."

The man suddenly became cheerful. "Oh, thank you. Thank you so much."

"Yeah, yeah. Were do you live?"

"I'm in the farthest house to the west."

"If we don't find him by tomorrow, we'll come back and let you know."

Sarah hit Luke's ribs. "Of course, it probably won't come to that," she said with a smile.

That man bowed to the two. "Oh, thank you. I'll be waiting at my house." The man turned and ran off.

"Let's go."

The two stopped at a store at the edge of the city for supplies before heading out to the forest, which was only a hundred yards from the city limits. Another hundred yards in, the trees were so thick that the two couldn't find their way back out. "How are we going to get back?" Sarah asked a little frightened.

"I bought a cheap GPS at the store. It'll lead us back." Luke stopped and took a look around. "But I have no clue how we're supposed to find that kid. We don't even know what he looks like."

Sarah suddenly noticed two Pidgeys up in a tree. She suddenly over heard one of them. "Caw…west…caw caw…stuck in brush."

She let out a small gasp. "It's working."

"What was that?"

Sarah suddenly turned her head away from the Pokemon and looked at him. "Oh, nothing." She pointed off to the left of the path. "I think we should try that way."

Luke looked in the direction unconvinced. "Any reason why?"

"Just a hunch," she said as she pushed through the brush. It was incredibly thick. Anyone trying to push through would have trouble. Perfect for some little child to get caught in. "IS ANYONE OUT THERE?"

"help." It was incredibly faint, but both of them heard it. It was another hundred yards in or so.

"We'll never be able to get to him."

"Oh, yes we will," Sarah said as she pulled out Bulbasaur's pokeball. With a toss and a flash, Bulbasaur was released into the brush. "Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf on the brush."

"Bulba." Several small leaves flew out of Bulbasaur's sides and cut through the foliage, making a perfect pathway.

With the plants cleared away, the two could see a young boy in a red shirt. He was pulling his leg at something. "What are you doing here?" Luke asked as they ran up.

They boy's ankle was wrapped in some kind of vine. "I was looking for berries when I got trapped."

"Hold still." Luke pulled out a knife and cut the boy free. "Can you walk?"

The boy stood weakly. "I think so."

Suddenly a bird dropped out of the trees behind them. It was a large Pidgeotto. Luke took a step forward and drew out a pokeball, but Sarah pushed him back. "Let me have it. I've been itching to catch a new Pokemon."

Bulbasaur leapt forward and dropped into an offensive stance. "Ready!" he cried out.

Sarah almost cried out in joy. Her Pokemon was talking to her! But she dropped it for the moment and prepared for the coming battle.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

**Chapter 2:**

**The Gift Realized**

**A/N: Hey all. So, I've gotten my first batch of reviews for this story asking for more. Well, I'll tell you right now, you're going to get it. Because this story is already finished! HA! How's that for a bombshell? So, from here on, updates will come regularly.**

The Pidgeotto charged with a tackle. "Bulbasaur, dodge it!"

Bulbasaur ducked to the ground and the bird's claws passed inches overhead.

Sarah turned back to the two boys. "Luke, get the kid out of here."

Luke nodded and picked up the young lad. He skirted around the tiny clearing and tore down the pathway.

Sarah turned back to the battle. Pidgeotto had turned and was coming in for another tackle. "Vine Whip!"

"Right." Bulbasaur grew his vines and threw them forward. With a flick, they smacked into Pidgeotto's head and sent it face-first into the ground.

"Now throw it."

Bulbasaur wrapped his vines around Pidgeotto's body and threw it against a tree with a grunt. The bird slumped, momentarily stunned.

"Alright. Now's my chance," she said as she pulled out a pokeball. Just then, she noticed something lean and fall out of the branches.

Pidgeotto saw it and squawked loudly. "NO! MY NEST!" It tried to get up, but it was too weak to do anything.

"Bulbasaur, catch that nest!"

Bulbasaur turned slightly and let out his vines. They gently wrapped around the twigs and slowed its descent until it gently landed on the ground.

Pidgeotto finally managed to stand, but it was leaning heavily against the tree. "Don't you dare hurt my eggs."

"Eggs?" Sarah looked into the nest. Sure enough, there were three brown eggs. "Oh, no. I don't want to hurt your eggs. We only came here to rescue that boy."

Pidgeotto and Bulbasaur' eyes popped. "You understood her?!" "You understood me?!"

Sarah laughed. "Uh, yeah. It's kind of a new thing."

Pidgeotto eyed her suspiciously. "Fine. But leave now."

"Of course." Sarah stepped around the nest and jogged away with Bulbasaur close at her heels.

"What's this about you speaking with Pokemon?" the little green creature asked.

"It's an experiment Prof. Oak asked me to do. Pretty cool, huh?"

Bulbasaur smiled. "I'll say."

The two finally made it back to the trail where Luke and the boy were waiting. "What happened?" Luke asked.

"We scared the Pidgeotto off. Let's get this young boy back to his family."

"My name's Brandon," the boy said as they started to walk.

Brandon and Luke fell behind a bit because of Brandon's limp. Bulbasaur, still walking, looked up at Sarah. "Why didn't you tell him the truth?"

Sarah looked down. "I don't think I should tell him just yet. He may think I'm weird or something," she said quietly.

"What was that?" Luke called.

"Oh, nothing," Sarah said back with a smile.

"You know you'll have to tell him eventually."

Sarah looked at her feet. "Yeah, but not yet." She pulled out her pokeball and Bulbasaur vanished into it with a red flash.

It was getting dark when they reached the yellow house. Brandon's family ran out, hugging and kissing. In the midst of it all, the old man turned to the two. "Thank you so much. We are in your debt."

"No problem."

Another man, younger, stood taller and looked at them. "Would you like to stay here for the night? It's the least we could do for two travelers who rescued our son."

"Well, we won't get far in this darkness," Luke said looking at his surroundings. "Sure."

Everyone was herded inside, where the mother cooked up a nice hot dinner.

While she ate, she couldn't help but overhear the Pokemon's conversation. They were in the next room, eating from bowls. Bulbasaur was going on about their battle with the Pidgeotto. When it came to Sarah's little "conversation," she turned back to her own meal. Every other Pokemon looked at her and laughed, saying things like "Yeah right." "That can't be true." "A human that can understand Pokespeach? Good one."

A few hours later, Sarah walked into her room, which was only a one-person guest room. She softly closed and locked the door and let Bulbasaur out of his ball. "Why did you go and tell the other Pokemon about me?" she asked harshly.

"Oh, come on," he replied. "Something like this should be shared, not bottled up."

"The only one we will share this with is Prof. Oak, and that's final. Understood?"

Bulbasaur's face saddened. "Sure."

Sarah suddenly felt guilty. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just I don't want people to find out and think I'm a freak or something." She sat down on the bed.

Bulbasaur jumped up next to her. "No one will think you're a freak. If anything, you'll be well liked because of your gift."

She looked over at him. "You think so?" Bulbasaur nodded, making her smile. "Thanks." She gave her companion a tight hug. "Time for bed," she said as she pulled out his pokeball and called him back. Moments later she was sleeping soundly.

Midnight. The clouds move, letting moonlight shine into the room. In the glow, one would barely be able to make out a soft green hue making its way down Sarah's arm.

The next morning, the two said goodbye to the family and began their walk through the city. As they did, they passed the Pokemon Center. "I've gotta make a quick phone call," Sarah said. "Could you wait here for me?" Luke nodded and Sarah went inside. Nurse Joy was behind the counter, checking something on a notepad. "Is there anywhere I can make a private call?"

The nurse pointed to a hallway. "First door on the left."

Sarah thanked her and went to the room. It was very small and only had a single phone and a chair. She sat down and dialed up Prof. Oak. He quickly answered and his face appeared on the screen. "Why, hello, Sarah. How are things?"

"Great. And I have good news. The pill worked."

The professor's face lit up. "That's fantastic! Any side effects?"

"None so far."

"Excellent. But I'd like to wait a few more days, just to make sure nothing else happens. Call me back at the end of the week."

"Sure. And could you tell Mom I'm doing fine?"

"Absolutely. I have to be going. Good luck."

"Thanks, Professor." Sarah hung up the phone and the image faded. She quickly walked back outside and she and Luke continued on to the woods. Sarah realized she hadn't seen any of Luke's Pokemon yet. "So, Luke, what Pokemon do you have?"

"I started out with a Pikachu and caught a Pidgey and a Spearow."

"That's pretty cool." They continued on for a bit in an awkward silence. "I should probably catch another Pokemon for myself before we reach the next gym."

"Well, this is a good place to do it. There's supposed to be a lot of bugs that are easy to catch."

"Bugs? Gross."

No sooner had she said it then a Weedle dropped in front of her face. She froze and almost let out a scream. The bug simply looked at her face in a curious kind of way. "What's that you said about bugs?" it asked her.

She quickly jumped back and threw out her pokeball. "Bulbasaur, get rid of that bug!"

Bulbasaur jumped out with a flash. "Sorry about this little guy." He threw out his vines and smashed the Weedle against a tree. It slumped against the tree, stunned.

"Aren't you going to capture it?" Luke asked. "Weedle are pretty strong once they completely evolve."

"Oh, I hate bugs." Sarah pulled out a spare pokeball. "But I do need more Pokemon." She held back the orb and threw it low. It struck Weedle in the head and sucked it inside. Then it fell and began to shake as Weedle struggled to break free, but it was too weak. The ball slowed to a stop and sealed, completely capturing the bug inside. Sarah went over and picked up the pokeball. "Welcome to the team, Weedle."

Later that day, before it turned dark, they decided to have a training session. Sarah first called out her Bulbasaur. Luke called out his Pikachu. "Let's rumble!" it called out.

"_It's female."_ She was able to tell by the voice, though what it was she wasn't able to tell. "We're gonna cream you."

"Ladies first," Luke said from the other side of the field.

"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf."

Bulbasaur jumped into the air and swung his flower forward, releasing a swarm of leaves.

"Pikachu, dodge with Quick Attack."

The mouse vanished in a swift flash, dodging the rain of leaves. Then it appeared to Bulbasaur's side, charging in fast.

"Bulbasaur, jump and use Vine Whip."

It obeyed and jumped out of Pikachu's path. At the same time it flung its vines down into Pikachu's passing head, slamming it into the ground. The mouse tumbled several yards and landed on its head before falling to its stomach. It let out a groan. "Man that hurt."

"Great job, Bulbasaur. You can take a rest."

It turned her way and started to walk over. "What? But I was just getting warmed up."

"It's time to let Weedle have a chance." She threw out Weedle's ball. It landed lightly.

"Come on out Pikachu," Luke called. It jogged over to his side. "I choose Pidgey." He threw his own ball and the flying bird appeared in mid-air. "I hope you know that birds are extremely effective against bugs."

Sarah almost swore under her breath. _"This isn't going to be easy."_ She instantly began to think out a plan.

"Pidgey, use Peck."

"Weedle, dodge."

The bird swooped in close and thrust its head forward several times. The tiny bug rolled from side to side, dodging each swipe.

"Good job, Weedle. Now use Sting."

After stopping from its roll, Weedle threw itself forward and its horn grew purple. With a crash the needle struck under Pidgey's beak and the bird fell back.

"Now String Shot on its feet."

Weedle spit out a string of webs, which wrapped around Pidgey's feet and stuck it to the ground. The bird struggled to get free, but couldn't.

"I think that's enough," Luke said as he walked onto the field. He went over to Pidgey and helped it pull away from the webbing.

Sarah walked over to Weedle. "Great job, Weedle." She was about to reach down and pet it, when suddenly the yellow bug glowed yellow. She shrieked and jumped away. "What's going on?"

Luke looked in awe. "It's evolving."

"Really?" They watched for a few seconds as the body molded into a new shape. It slowly faded and instead of a Weedle stood a Kakuna. "Awesome! My first evolution!"

"Not really. Kakuna aren't really worth anything until they evolve."

Sarah glared at him. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. But don't worry, they evolve really fast."

She looked back at the bright yellow pod. "Let's hope so."

Everyone gathered around the fire for the meal. All of the Pokemon were gathered in a huddle, and Sarah couldn't help but pet each one as she laid their dishes down. She and Luke enjoyed a nice warm stew and crawled into bed.

Sarah was sleeping softly when she was suddenly awoken by a sharp pain running threw her body. She gasped as her entire body screamed out. Her whole body cringed. Then it was over, as suddenly as it had started.

She gently rolled out of her sleeping bag and sat on the cool grass. The moon was full overhead. _"That was weird."_ she thought as she reached up and scratched behind her ear with her foot.

"_Wait."_ She froze. How could she be scratching her head with her foot? She slowly turned around and froze. She wasn't scratching with a foot; it was a paw!

She looked at her back and was shocked again. There was a massive flower on her back.

With a scream she ran off into the woods. She was so terrified she didn't notice that she was running on all fours. She burst into a clearing and almost went into a stream. Her face hung over the edge of the water, letting her see her reflection in the moonlight. Complete terror took over her as she saw her face.

She was a Bulbasaur!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

**Chapter 3:**

**A Look at the Other Side**

**A/N: Thank you all who reviewed and like this story. One thing I forgot to mention last chapter. Although this story is finished, there is still room for adjustment. So if something is wrong, tell me. I can take a few flames.**

Sarah lost her head and ran around screaming. Of course, all that came out was a stream of "Bulba! Bulba! Bulba!" That was all she could produce in her new body. After a few minutes she got tired and sat down. She couldn't help but look at her paws. They were green and small. They quickly became disgusting to her. She dropped onto her stomach and put her face into the ground, where she proceeded to cry.

"_Why is this happening?"_ she asked herself over and over. She couldn't come up with an answer. She simply sat and cried for what seemed like hours. Eventually she ran out of tears and stood. _"Well, if I'm going to be a Bulbasaur, I might as well get used to it."_

She took a small sniff. She was surprised at the amount of scents she could pick up. The grass was fresh, the flowers tantalizing. A strange scent came from the camp, no doubt from Luke.

A small crunch made her turn. It was a Caterpie crawling her way. The crunch was simply the grass under its feet. Her hearing was much better too.

Sarah got an idea. _"If I'm a Pokemon, I should be able to use attacks."_ She focused on her side but didn't know exactly what to do. She experimentally flexed several muscles. A long brown vine sprouted from directly beneath her flower. It felt strange as it rubbed against her back, but she adjusted it so it simply went higher up. With a flick, she sent the whip forward and snapped it just in front of the Caterpie's face. It turned tail and ran. Sarah let out a laugh and let the vine retract back under her skin.

"It's not very kind to attack the weak," a voice said from behind her. She spun around and looked up to see a Rattata sitting on a tree branch.

"Sorry, but I just had to try that."

The Rattata sniffed. "I don't recognize your scent. You're new to this area, aren't you?"

"New to this species is more like it." The Rattata looked at her strangely. "Well, I'm actually not a Pokemon. I'm a human."

The rat looked over her. "You look like a Pokemon to me. But I can play along." The creature jumped down and landed softly in the grass. Its purple skin was would have been difficult to see if Sarah were still human. "Just so you know us 'Pokemon' find that name kind of an insult."

"But why? Humans call you that all the time."

"Yeah, but humans are stupid. We just go along with it."

"So what should I call them then?"

"Most prefer our original name, 'Shaiyas.' But usually we just call strangers by their species. Seeing as how you're new to this side of life, why don't I show you around the woods?"

Sarah took a look back in the direction of the camp. Should she go back and try to explain? No, Luke wouldn't be able to understand. If anything, she would find her way back later. "Sure."

The pair walked deeper into the forest. It was surprising easy for Sarah to see in the moonlight. Everything looked clear and crisp. _"I could actually get used to this,"_ she thought to herself. Just as before, her nose was attacked with dozens of scents she had never smelled before, and it was incredible. Her Rattata companion pointed out several things, like edible fruit. For not believing her, he was "playing along" really well.

Sarah picked up a strange scent. It was sour and slightly repulsive, yet sweet and tantalizing at the same time. "What's that smell?"

The rat stopped and sniffed the air. He changed his direction a few degrees. "There are two Pokemon mating somewhere. We should try to avoid them."

Sarah took another whiff to remember the scent and followed, forcing the images in her head out at the same time.

The pair walked for few more hours before they stopped. Sarah sniffed the air and picked up a familiar scent. Luke. They were right were they had met earlier. "Any reason we went in a circle?"

"I figured you'd want to go with your human friend, that's all."

Sarah nodded. She would have to tell him. Her stomach rumbled loudly. Sarah took a quick glance at the sky. The moon was low and there was an ever-so-slight hue of red on the eastern horizon. No wonder she was hungry: it was almost morning. She spotted an apple tree a few yards away and used a vine to pluck a ripe red apple. She sat against a tree and munched away. The Rattata sat down next to her and they waited for the sun to rise.

Just then, Sarah felt an intense pain in her side. Her vine untwisted and curled back into her side. She leaned over and panted for a moment and the pain subsided. It was the same type of pain that happened the earlier. She reached out her front paw. The green was receding to her elbow and her paw had reverted back to a human hand! Looking down, her legs were changing the same way.

The Rattata jumped several yards back. "Holy s#!" It quickly turned and ran back into the trees.

Sarah keeled over as another round of pain attacked her body. It wasn't as bad, but it still hurt. Through it, she could feel her spine grow longer. Her flower also shrank into her back and her head reshaped. After two more stabs of pain, she was back to her human self.

Slowly, she stood up. Her legs were shaky, but they held her. She looked down at herself, just to make sure. Everything was like it had been before last night. With a small surprise, she found herself naked. _"Duh. Pokemon don't need clothes."_ She walked in the direction of their camp. When she reached it, she hid in some brush behind a tree. Luke was already up, packing up his things. She thought to herself several times, _"Please leave. Please leave."_

Luke pulled out a couple of canteens and looked in the direction of the woods. "Sarah, if you can hear me, I'm going to get water!" She didn't answer. After a moment, Luke got up and left.

When he was gone, Sarah ran over to her sleeping back. Sure enough, her clothes were still inside. She slipped them back on quickly and started to roll up her bag just as Luke reappeared. "Where were you," he asked.

She had to stop herself from spilling everything. _"I can't just tell him. There's no way he'd believe me."_ So she simply answered, "I was using the bathroom." He nodded and they went on as if nothing had happened.

But it continued to itch at Sarah's mind the rest of the day. As they walked through the forest, she drifted in out of awareness from the lack of sleep. Her mind tumbled about possible ways that last night could have occurred. Had she simply dreamt it? If so it was one incredible dream. But no, it had been much too real.

Several hours later, they stopped by another stream to take a rest. Sarah went off to look for some food. When she was out of Luke's earshot, she called out her Bulbasaur. "Ah, some fresh air. You know, that pokeball can get cramped sometimes."

"No, I wouldn't know. There's something I think we need to talk about." As they wandered the forest, Sarah spilled everything that had happened.

Bulbasaur listened, though his face betrayed that he had doubts about her story. "Wow. That's quite a story. Do you have anything to prove it actually happened?"

"That's just the thing. I don't."

Bulbasaur thought for a moment. "Well, could you do it again?"

"What?"

"Well, maybe you could do it again. Perhaps tonight or maybe you could control it and change at will." He grew a little excited. "Do you realize all the stuff you could do?"

"Hold on a moment. I don't think I'm ready to do that just yet."

"But if you have this gift, why waste it?" the little creature pleaded.

Sarah thought for a moment. It was sort of enjoyable. All the smells, the feeling of being one with nature. "I guess so, but I wouldn't know how to do it."

"Good point," Bulbasaur said, thinking. "Did you feel anything when you changed last night?"

"Yeah, pain. It felt like my body was rearranging itself."

"Try to recreate that feeling."

Sarah shuddered. "I don't know. It hurt. But I guess I'll give it a try." Sarah closed her eyes and focused first on her back. She tried to picture it shrinking and twisting into a new shape. With a twist of pain, she felt her spine start to move. The pain wasn't nearly as intense; it was now more of a bad irritation. That must have been a good sign, she though. She moved on to her hands. With a little force of will, they shrank into paws. Finally she imagined the flower on her back. There was a final spike of pain and the flower grew in an instant.

She opened her eyes and found she was surrounded by red. It was her shirt. She backed up, and came out into the open forest. Her clothes were simply lying on the ground in front of her. She looked up at her shocked Bulbasaur's eyes. She was now at the same eye level as he was.

"Wow," it said simply. "I have to say, you look pretty good as a Bulbasaur."

Sarah blushed. "Thanks, I think." She took a deep whiff of the air. It was so fresh. She loved it.

"Can you attack?" Bulbasaur asked.

Sarah got an evil smirk. Without saying anything, she whipped out a vine a smacked it across his face. He spun from the recoil and turned to look at her, forming an evil smile of his own. "Oh, you are going to pay for that."

He ran at her with a Tackle, but she jumped to the side and he ran head-first into a tree. As he was dazed, Sarah sent out two vines that spun him around and held him tight to the trunk. Then, with a slight dip and a swing, she let fly several Razor Leaves. The stuck into the tree inches around Bulbasaur's head. His face was completely terrified.

Sarah walked up close to his face. "Looks like I win."

There was a rustling of brush that made Sarah turn and take a sniff. "Luke! He can't see me like this." She let go of Bulbasaur and ran over to her clothes. She dove inside while she instinctively forced her body back to its human shape. She was back to herself and standing in only seconds, surprising herself.

"Bulbasaur, use your vine whip to knock some of those apples down," she said softly, pointing to a nearby tree. "Act like nothing happened."

Just then Luke walked through a bush. "What's taking so long?"

"Sorry. We just now found some apples."

Bulbasaur sighed and used his vines to crack several stems and the apples fell to the ground. Sarah went around and collected them and they all went back to camp.

At the camp, all of the Pokemon were out and munching on their food. Sarah noticed that throughout the entire meal, Bulbasaur looked at her with a resentful stair.

"There's a Pokemon Center a few miles ahead. We should be able to make it there by dark," Luke said in between bites.

Sarah perked up. "Cool." If there was a Pokemon Center, she could get a room and then no one would see if something happened again.

About two hours later, they arrived at the Pokemon Center with plenty of daylight to spare. The nurse gave them each their own room. Sarah immediately went to hers and let Bulbasaur out. He still had a glare on his face. "Ok, what's with the evil eye?"

"You know what it is," he replied back.

"I know you want me to tell him, but I can't. He'll think I'm either psycho or a freak of nature."

"Well, if he does, he's not your friend."

That threw Sarah off guard. Bulbasaur was right. A real friend would accept you no matter who, or what, you were. And to her, Luke was a friend. "You're right." Bulbasaur smiled. "But first I think we should run this by Prof. Oak, just to get his input."

Bulbasaur became mad again. "You're just putting it off. You can't deny who you are."

"And I'm not. It's just that I'm not telling anybody. Not yet, at least."

Bulbasaur sulked for a moment. "Fine. I'm only going along with it because I think of you as my friend. But I'll tell you now that putting it off will only make it worse."

Bulbasaur returned to his pokeball and Sarah stood alone in the room, thoughts tumbling through her head.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

**Chapter 4:**

**The Journey Continues**

**A/N: Wow. Thanks to all the readers, this has now become my most popular story! Thanks for the reviews so far; keep 'em coming.**

Sarah was just about to fall asleep when she felt the change come over her. Any pain she would have had was now nonexistent. It simply felt natural; like it was something her body did everyday. She twisted out of the covers mid-change and shrugged off her clothes. She let the change finished and sat on the bed. Light fell through the nearby winder, causing her to look up. It was the moon, full and bright. Sarah started to think. Why did she change at night? How did she change? So many questions. Hopefully she would get them answered.

There was a scratch at the window. Sarah looked out. The Rattata from last night was sitting on the sill. She jumped down and used a vine to open the glass.

The small rat jumped onto the floor. "Wow. You weren't kidding about being human."

"Of course I wasn't. What are you doing here?"

"After I saw you change, I got curious, so I decided to follow along. Besides, I also figured you could use someone to help you around this side of the world."

She laughed. "I guess I could. Would you like to join my Pokemon team?"

"You mean like battling?" Sarah nodded. "Eh, why not? I ain't got a family or anything."

"Great." Sarah went over to her bag and fished out a pokeball. "But before you get in, I have one question."

"Shoot."

"Do you have any idea about why I change at night?"

The Rattata thought. "Well, many Shaiyas have always had an affinity for the moon. Supposedly, it's the symbol for the goddess who created Shaiyas. Perhaps that's why." He eyed the little ball with a little suspicion. "I hope it's roomy in there."

"I wouldn't know." She cocked a leg back.

"One more thing."

She stopped.

"Name's Lars. Just so you know."

"Good to know." Sarah kicked the pokeball into the air. It struck Lars' head and he was sucked inside. She placed the ball back into her bag and jumped onto the bed.

The moon. That was a better reason than anything she could come up with. Oh well. She'd have to find out tomorrow.

She twisted, softening the cushion, and lay down to sleep.

The next morning, Luke was waiting in the main lobby. He had his bag packed and was tapping his foot in anticipation. If it weren't for Sarah, he would have been gone.

Sarah ran out of the hall, completely bagless. Luke stood. "What took you so long? Aren't you ready to go?"

"Not really. Listen, there's something I have to do before we go."

"And what would that be?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Just then, Prof. Oak burst through the door. "Sarah! There you are."

"Please, Luke," she pleaded. "This won't take too long." She turned away and pulled Oak with her back down the hall.

Luke sighed. "Sure. I can wait."

It wasn't until two hours later that Luke heard a door creak open. "Thank you again for calling me. I'll get up with you as soon as the tests are done," he heard someone say.

Prof. Oak then came out of the hall and jogged outside. There was an engine rev and a car sped off.

Sarah came back out to the lobby. This time she had her pack slung over her shoulder. "OK. Now I'm ready to go," she said with a smile.

They stepped out and continued their walk to Pewter City.

A nervous silence covered the air for most of the walk. Finally, Luke gained the courage to ask what was on his mind. "What was that visit from Oak all about?"

Sarah continued watching the pathway ahead. "Nothing really. It's kind of personal, so I'd rather not talk about it."

Luke nodded and the silence returned. They didn't say another word to each other until they finally arrived at the city.

Pewter wasn't as much a city as Viridian. It was actually more like a very large town. It even had its own museum, which the pair took some time to explore.

After stopping at a restaurant to eat, they made their way to the gym. It was large and had two large rock images next to the sign. "I'm guessing this is a rock gym," Luke said as the two walked in. Sure enough, the center of the building was covered in a rock-type field. They were standing now in a lobby. No one was at the front desk. "Hello?"

Sarah noticed a small door on the left wall. She went over and peered in. Someone was inside. She pushed the door open a bit. "Excuse me."

The man turned his head. "Yes. Can I help you?" In his hands was a Vulpix.

"We're looking for the gym leader. We would like to challenge him for the gym's badge."

"Is that so," the man said as he put the Vulpix down. He stood erect and turned to the door. His skin was dark and he was tall, easily topping Luke's five and a half feet. "And what makes you think you're ready to face this gym's leader?" he asked as he completely opened the door and walked out.

"I'd like to give my battle training a test. Also because I'd like to compete in the Kanto League," she answered.

The man nodded and turned to Luke. "And you?"

"I want to challenge the gym leader also. I'm going to show the world that I'm the best."

The man laughed. "Strong words. But I'll warn you, arrogance won't get you very far." He turned back to Sarah. "I am Brock, the Pewter Gym Leader, and I accept your challenge."

"Really?"

"Hey," Luke interrupted. "What about me?"

"I accept your challenge as well, but this young lady will be first."

Luke made a sneer.

"My name's Sarah," she said, holding out her hand.

Brock accepted it. "Nice to meet you. Are you ready to begin?" Sarah nodded and Brock gestured to the door.

The two walked in. Brock went around to the far side of the field and Luke took a seat in the stands. "How many Pokemon do you have?" he called over.

"Three," she called back.

"Then it will be a three-on-three match. You may switch out Pokemon as you choose, but I cannot." He reached back and pulled out a pokeball. "I'll choose first. COME OUT, GEODUDE!" He hurled the pokeball and a rock Pokemon came forth.

"A Geodude, huh? Then I choose RATTATA!" She threw her own ball and Lars popped out.

"Hey, when did you get a Rattata?" Luke asked.

"Last night, actually. You ready?"

"I haven't done this in a while, but yeah," Lars answered.

"Just do what I say and you'll be fine."

"Don't be so sure," the Geodude called over.

"You may make the first attack," Brock said.

"Great. RATTATA, USE QUICK ATTACK!"

The small rat pushed off and quickly gained some serious speed. With a quick leap, he rose into the air and connected with Geodude. Geodude was thrown back against a rock.

Brock smiled. "Well done. But it will take more than that to hurt my Geodude." The dust cleared. Geodude was still floating without a scratch. "Being a rock type, Geodude has a very high defense. USE ROCK THROW!"

Geodude leaned down and picked up a massive boulder.

Lars took a step back. "Don't worry, Rattata," Sarah called out. "You're small. Use that to your advantage." The Geodude pulled back and let the rock fly. "Now DODGE!"

Lars took two steps to the side and the rock flew by.

"Very nice," Brock said. "KEEP USING ROCK THROW!"

"KEEP DODGING!"

The Pokemon went into a game of target practice. Geodude threw rock after rock which Lars dodged.

"_Gotta come up with something quick," _Sarah thought to herself. "Use the rocks for cover!" Lars quickly jumped behind a rock. Geodude threw another boulder and the rock was torn to shreds. "Now Quick Attack behind another one!" Lars quickly jumped behind another rock. Geodude threw another rock, but Lars was already gone.

Lars continued to leap from rock to rock. Geodude tried to keep up, but the little rat was going too fast. Eventually it completely lost track. Even Brock couldn't find it.

"Great. NOW TACKLE IT!"

Lars jumped out and up, right into Geodude's underside. The rock monster went up into the air and came down hard on its head. The creature rolled into another rock and lay motionless.

"Well done," Brock said as he recalled Geodude. "That's one down. But my next Pokemon is a bit stronger. GO DIGLET!" A little Pokemon that looked like something I can't describe popped out into the ground.

"Now that's an interesting Pokemon." Sarah instantly thought about ways to go about this. She knew this Pokemon was a great digger, so it would be hard to find a chance to attack.

"USE DIG, DIGLET!"

The Pokemon suddenly disappeared underground.

Lars started looking around. "Where'd it go? What should I do?"

"Don't worry. You'll be fine. Just be ready."

The Diglet came up without warning. It connected straight into Rattata's stomach. The rat screamed as it was hurled into the air.

"Hang in there. Turn your fall into a Quick Attack."

The rat angled his head down and used his arms to direct himself.

"Get underground, Diglet!" The creature vanished back into the rock.

Lars angled straight into the hole Diglet had escaped into. There was a fountain of dust as he impacted.

It took a moment for the smoke to clear. When it finally did, Lars was lying on his back, knocked out. The Diglet reappeared several yards over. It was hit, but not enough to take it out.

Sarah held out her pokeball and Rattata vanished into it. "Great job," she said to him. "You did very well for your first battle."

Sarah put that pokeball back and grabbed another one. This was exciting. Sarah's heart began to beat faster. _"So this is what being a trainer feels like."_

**A/N: Not so much stuff this chapter, but the next one is big, so stay tuned!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

**Chapter 5:**

**Risk and Reward**

Sarah threw out her second pokeball. "Go Bulbasaur!"

Bulbasaur leapt out and got into a defensive stance.

"A grass type, huh? That's a good choice," Brock said. "Diglett, use Dig!" The creature vanished underground.

"Bulbasaur, hang yourself from the ceiling with Vine Whip!"

Bulbasaur jumped into the air and shot out a vine. "I don't know about this."

"Trust me."

"Clever," Brock said, one hand to his chin. "By keeping Bulbasaur in the air, my Diglett shouldn't be able to attack you." Then he smiled. "Diglett, Tackle!"

The Diglett suddenly came ripping out of the rock and flew straight into the air. It was heading straight for Bulbasaur.

"Now drop!" Bulbasaur let himself go and he plummeted to the ground. Diglett's momentum kept it rising. "Great! Now Vine Whip its behind!" Bulbasaur threw out its vines and started whipping the snot out of the little rock creature. It screeched and plummeted to the hard earth with a boom and dust cloud.

"Diglett!" The smoke cleared, showing Diglett knocked out. "Oh, well." Brock recalled it. "You did a good job. I'm impressed. But you're gonna need to come up with something else, 'cause that won't work on my last Pokemon." He threw it out. "Onyx, come on out!"

A massive stone snake appeared on the battle field. It let out a roar that shook the entire building. Bulbasaur took a step back. "Oh, crap."

"Just stay focused," Sarah called. "We can take it."

"Onyx, into the air!" The monster leapt up, almost to the point of touching the ceiling. Then it turned nose down and began to plummet.

"Bulbasaur, get out of the way!"

Bulbasaur turned and ran. The massive monster struck the ground with tremendous force. Rocks flew everywhere. A single stray one tore across Bulbasaur's cheek, leaving a long gash. He stumbled, but recovered. When he looked back, though, all he saw was an empty hole. "Oh, crap again."

"Now up!"

Onyx tore up through the ground and threw Bulbasaur up hard against the ceiling. Bulbasaur fell and crashed into the ground.

"Oh, no! Bulbasaur!" Sarah ran out onto the field. Bulbasaur was ok, but in no condition to fight. She picked him up and carried him off the field, where she placed him next to the trainer's box. "Great job."

"That guy's tough. Don't send in Kakuna."

"What? But I have to. He's the only Pokemon I have left."

"That's not true. You're a better fighter than any of us. If you put in Kakuna, he's going to be destroyed."

"I can't go in! I'm not going to expose my secret like that!"

"Send out your Pokemon!" Brock called over.

"Don't do it, Sarah. Not now," Bulbasaur pleaded.

Sarah shook her head. "I have no choice." She stood up and turned to the field. "Go, Kakuna!" The yellow Pokemon appeared on the field. "Use Tackle!" The Pokemon simply sat there. "What are you doing?"

"Kakuna doesn't know any attacks," Luke told her.

"What?"

"Go Onyx."

The snake charged forward and smashed into Kakuna, sending it into the wall. The little bug fell hard. Then to her surprise, it somehow righted itself. She could almost see it glare coming through the shell. Then it began to glow. It became a bright white and slowly cracked. Pieces of the shell fell away until it lay in pieces. In its place stood a Beedrill!

"All right! Now this is something I can work with!"

The Beedrill flew back onto the field. "Let me have the honor of destroying this pest," he called.

"My pleasure. Use Horn Drill!"

The bug flew in and started pelting the snake with its drill-hands. The snake fell back from the onslaught.

"Onyx, get underground!"

The Onyx threw Beedrill off and dug down. Beedrill flew up to get a better view.

"Now charge it!" The Onyx ripped up again, rising up to meet Beedrill.

"Give it a hard Horn Drill!" The bee fell forward, a drill pulled back. It swung and the two collided with a massive explosion. Smoke filled the room.

Sarah could hear two thumps, one louder than the other. Both Pokemon were back on the ground, but was either one standing?

The smoke finally cleared. Beedrill stood tall and proud on his feet. Several yards over, Onyx was lying still. Brock called it back. "It looks like you beat me. Nicely done."

Beedrill stumbled and collapsed. Sarah gasped and ran forward. Everyone else ran out and they all met. Sarah fell down and took Beedrill in her arms. "Are you ok?"

"It…hurts…" It was incredibly weak.

"Where's the nearest Pokemon Center?" she asked the gym leader.

"Down the street."

Sarah picked Beedrill up and started running towards the door. "Luke, watch Bulbasaur for me!" She ran out before he could respond.

Sarah cut the corner and began running through the street, bumping into a few of the pedestrians. "Hold on."

Beedrill let out a soft cough. A few drops of blood came up with it.

Sarah's eye let out a tear. She blinked it away and turned her head back to the street. There it was! She burst in through the door. "NURSE JOY! By Beedrill needs help!"

Nurse Joy came around to look at it. "Oh my. Chansey! We need to get it into the ER." A Chansey with a stretcher came out and Sarah lay her Pokemon down. Then it turned and ran off. Nurse Joy instantly turned to follow.

Sarah suddenly felt helpless. She looked around. There were a few other trainers there. Sighing she took a seat in an empty chair. _"How could I do that!"_ was all that ran through her head.

Almost half an hour later, Nurse Joy came back out and looked her straight in the eye. Sarah knew right away something was wrong. She jumped up and ran over. "What's wrong? How's Beedrill?"

Joy sighed and hung her head. "I'm sorry."

Sarah froze. No. This wasn't happening. It couldn't.

"There was a lot of internal damage. It was too much to repair in the time we were given."

Tears began to fall down Sarah's face.

"I'm so sorry."

Sarah cried out as her mind caught up to reality. She wrapped her arms around Joy and cried. Joy took her hug and stood there. A minute later, Sarah pulled away. "May I see it?" Joy nodded.

Sarah was led down a hall to a bed. Beedrill was lying motionless. Sarah stifled another cry. She had done that.

Joy came up behind her. "I know this is a hard thing to ask, but what do you want to do with him? We have a small cemetery out back if you like."

Sarah wordlessly nodded. Joy took the Beedrill in her arms and they walked out back. Two Diglett came up and swiftly dug up a small hole, where the Beedrill was placed. Sarah stood as Joy placed the creature in its final resting place. After she had, Joy patted Sarah's shoulder lightly, then turned and left. Sarah stood for another few minutes, simply looking at the body in the grave. The body she had put there.

With another small cry, she turned and walked away.

Minutes later, she walked in front of the gym. Luke came out cheering. He held up a bright orange pin. "Check it out! I got a badge!" He then held up an identical one. "And here's yours!"

Sarah took it into her hand. With a cry she threw it onto the ground. "I don't deserve that!"

Luke and Bulbasaur, who had come out also, looked at her dumbfounded. "What are you talking about? You beat the gym leader. Of course you deserve it."

Sarah shook her head and turned away. "No."

"What's wrong?"

Sarah let out another cry. "Beedrill's dead." Luke gasped and dropped his own badge. There was a moment of utter silence. "The first Pokemon I help evolve and I send it to its grave."

"Oh, come now, Sarah," Luke said as he took her in a soft hug. "It's not your fault. You saw Beedrill. It fought of its own choice."

"But I chose to have him fight."

Luke pulled her closer. "It's ok." Sarah stood there and cried again. Everything flowed. She didn't hold it back.

She finally ran out of tears and pulled herself back. "Maybe it's best if I give up training."

"Oh, no you don't!" Bulbasaur said loudly. "If anything you should keep fighting. In remembrance of Beedrill."

"Perhaps you're right." Sarah stooped down and picked up the badge. "I'm meant to do this." She pulled out a small case and attached the pin. "Thank you, Beedrill. You helped me get through. I won't forget you."

"We should get going. There's enough time to get a start towards the next town."

Sarah nodded. Luke began to walk ahead, but Sarah stood for a moment more. "You were right. I should have fought in Kakuna's place."

Bulbasaur sat down beside her. "Yeah, I was right. But it's in the past. Best we be looking to the future."

Sarah nodded and brushed away her final tear. With that, she turned and went off to catch up to Luke.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

**Chapter 6:**

**No secrets**

**A/N: You all really like me! T.T I've never been so happy! I'd like to thank the Academy… no. But seriously, thanks to all the faithful readers who have made this so popular!**

Sarah slipped into the phone room. They had stopped at a Pokemon Center for the night, and she was anxious to get back up with Oak, so she dialed up his number.

The old man answered after three rings. "Ah, Sarah. I'm glad you called. I just got your results. It seems that the pill had a side effect. While enhancing your brain waves and functions, it also destabilized your DNA."

"What?!"

"Now, don't worry. You aren't going to die from it. You now seem to have a mixture of DNA in your blood. So far I've found your own, that of a Bulbasaur, a Kakuna, a Weedle, a Beedrill, a Pikachu, a Spearow, a Pidgey, and finally Pidgeotto."

"Wow."

"Indeed. It seems that they all share an equal part of your bloodstream. That's probably how you change. You're able to cause one strand to become more prominent than the others. It's incredibly fascinating."

"But nothing else should happen, right?"

Oak shook his head. "I don't think so. But keep in touch, just in case something else does happens."

"I will." She thanked him and hung up the phone. Then she slipped out the door and turned down the hall.

"Next time you want a private conversation, remember to close the door."

Sarah spun around at the voice. Luke was leaning casually against the wall. "You were eavesdropping?"

"Not eavesdropping. Just listening."

"So you heard us then?"

"I heard it, but I have no idea about what it means." Luke pushed away from the wall. "You know, as much of a loner as I am, I still kind of consider us friends. So if there's something going on, you can tell me."

Sarah looked down at her hands. "Can I trust you not to tell anyone?"

"On my honor as a friend."

Sarah took a deep breathe. "I can understand Pokemon."

"…You mean like their speech?" Sarah nodded. "That's pretty cool."

Sarah looked up at him with surprise. "You don't think that's weird?"

"Are you kidding? If anything it's one of the greatest gifts I've every heard of."

"Well, then perhaps I should just spill it all." Luke raised an eyebrow. She took another breathe. "I can't just hear them. I can change into them."

"You mean like…actually become a Pokemon?" She nodded again. "That's a bit strange, but also kind of cool."

"So you don't think I'm crazy?" she asked with a slightly more excited voice.

"Well, a bit, yes. But hey, isn't everyone a little crazy?"

"OH, thank you!" She ran up and grabbed him in a hug. "I was almost certain you'd think I was a freak or something!

"Well, maybe a little. But I can accept that." She hugged him a little tighter. "So does this mean you can battle too?"

"Well, Bulbasaur actually thought I should have instead of Kakuna. Now that the secret's out, I'm kind of anxious to try."

"Well, you'll get the chance to tomorrow. We should be at Cerulean by then."

"Thank you again." She finally released him and went off to her room. She pulled out Bulbasaur's ball and released him. "You were right again. I told him and he's actually cool with it!"

"See? You need to start listening to me more often."

"I guess so." She knelt down and gave the creature a hung around the next. The clouds above shifted. It was much later than she had thought, and the moonlight shown through the window onto the floor. Sarah stepped back and looked down at herself. "Strange. If it's this late, I should be changing."

"Maybe it's just at the full moon."

Sarah looked back up at the moon. Sure enough, it was well past the full stage and starting to wane. "I guess you're right. That's three for you. But you know what, I kind of like being a Pokemon occasionally." She focused her mind and caused her body to shrink into a Bulbasaur. "Ah, there we are. Would you like to join me for the night?"

"Sure." They jumped up onto the bed and snuggled close.

Sarah put her head back down with a comfortable sigh. She was finally comfortable with her gift.

The two stopped for their last break before entering the city. Luke went to making a fire. "I think I'm going to do a little Pokemon hunting," Sarah said. "I'm going to need some more before we hit the next gym."

"That's probably a good idea."

Sarah headed off into the woods, constantly checking her location so that she could make it back. "It would probably easier to find other Pokemon if I was one myself," she thought to herself. She dropped down and shifted to a Bulbasaur. She had gotten it down now and was able to switch from form to form with ease.

Dropping her face, she took a sniff. She picked up several different scents, many of which she ruled out as plant smells. Two others were different, hopefully Pokemon. She picked one and followed it. She didn't have to travel far. She came to a small clearing. In the center sat a small orange and black dog with white tufts of fur under its chin and on its head. Sarah recognized it as a Growlithe. _"That's weird. Growlithe aren't supposed to live anywhere near here."_

The small dog was looking around and occasionally let out a whimper.

"_It must be seriously lost. It doesn't look too old."_ Sarah thought for a moment. Battling would only scare it more. Perhaps she could befriend it instead.

She was about to step out but stopped. _"Don't want it to see me change."_ She hurried back to where she had left her clothes and changed back. Then she crept back to the clearing. Luckily the Growlithe hadn't moved.

She was about to step out again when the canine suddenly turned and looked in her direction. It let out a growl. "Whoever you are, come out now!"

Sarah stood out from the bush.

The dog took a step back and looked a bit surprised, but then resumed its fierce stance. "Don't come any closer."

"It's ok, girl, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Mama told me to stay away from humans."

"Well your mama probably never met me."

The pup was caught off guard. "You understand me?"

"Yes. And I know that you're lost and alone." The Growlithe dropped his head. "If you want to come with me, I promise I'll take care of you."

The Growlithe perked up, but then grew suspicious. "Wait, there's a catch, isn't there? Just because I'm young doesn't mean I'm stupid."

Sarah laughed. "Of course you are. The only catch would be that you would help me win contests by battling."

"Huh. I figured."

"I wouldn't do anything to get you hurt. And my other Pokemon really enjoy battling." The pup looked around, still suspicious. "You do want a family, don't you?" The dog looked at her with now sad eyes. "We can be your family. What do you say?"

The dog took one last look into the woods behind it. Then it turned back to her. "Ok."

"Great," Sarah said with a smile. She knelt down on the ground and held her arms out. "Come here."

The Growlithe bounded forward and let out a bark. It came into her lap and Sarah scratched it behind its ear. "So what's your name?"

"Nina."

"Well, Nina, welcome to the team. Let's go get something to eat."

They got up and walked off back to camp. Nina crouched behind a bush when she spotted Luke. "Don't worry," Sarah encouraged. "He's not going to hurt you."

Nina slowly crawled out. Luke turned and spotted her. "Ah, is this the new member of the team?" Nina stopped. "Oh, come on, now. How about something to eat?" Luke fished a piece of meat from the pot and held it close to the ground.

Nina sniffed the air and went closer. When she got close enough, she lunged forward, grabbed the meat, and jumped back, chewing up the partially cooked flesh.

Sarah laughed. "Is it good?"

Nina nodded as she ate.

Sarah went to her bag and let out the rest of her Pokemon. She went through introducing each one to Nina. Then she got them all some Poke food.

The group of creatures got to talking. Sarah listened in as she waited for her stew to finish. It didn't take long for Shan to spill about her ability. Nina instantly looked at her. "No way." Sarah nodded. "You're kidding." She shook her head. "Yeah, right. I'll believe that when I see it."

Sarah laughed. "You're as bad as Luke."

"What was that?" the boy asked.

"Oh, nothing. I was talking to Growlithe."

Luke dipped up two bowls of stew and handed one to her. Sarah got a spoon and picked at it. "Thanks, Luke."

"For what?" he asked through a spoonful.

"For keeping my secret."

"Oh, that."

"You don't really believe me, do you?"

"To be perfectly honest, no. But hey, if you believe it, more power to ya."

Sarah laughed. "Huh. Well, at least you aren't leaving. So…thanks."

"Don't mention it."

**A/N: A little anticlimactic? Maybe, but this is just a filler chapter. The good stuff hasn't even started yet. So stick around!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Battle on the Sea**

The large dome building with a Dewgong across the front loomed in front of Sarah in the morning light. She tried to move, to get closer and enter, but her legs wouldn't move.

Luke came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You ok?"

"Yeah," she lied.

"Don't worry. You'll do fine."

She smiled. "You're right. It's best to keep going."

She strode forward and went into the building. There was a reception room, just like Pewter's, but the second room was much different. Most of it was filled with a massive pool. Several platforms sat atop the water and various places. Two trainer's boxes stood, one at each end. "This must be the gym's battlefield," Luke said as he admired the room.

Sarah walked over to the water and looked inside. The water was crystal clear. A few dozen Pokemon swum along the bottom. "Wow. The water looks beautiful."

There was a splash from the far side. Sarah looked up. A girl with red hair had surfaced and was pulling herself out of the water. "It is," she said. She was wearing a one-piece pink swim suit. Sarah noticed that Luke was gazing at her as she turned. "I'm Misty, the Cerulean Gym leader. I'm guessing that you two are trainers looking for a match?"

Luke nodded. "I'm Luke. My friend is Sarah."

"Pleased to meet you." Misty held a hand up to the trainer's box next to Luke. "Go ahead and take your place."

"Huh. You don't waste time on formalities, do you?" he asked as he climbed the ladder up.

"You have good timing. I just finished my daily swim. Any other time and you would have been more pressed for a match." She reached the top. "What shall it be? Three on three?"

"That's fine for me."

Sarah walked over and took a seat on the bleachers. Being second, she would get a chance to see Misty's strategies.

"Good." Misty took out a pokeball. "Come out, Magikarp." An orange fish Pokemon appeared out of the white light.

"A Magikarp? This should be easy."

"Don't be surprised. Well trained Magikarp can be very formidable."

"Sure, whatever. I choose Pidgey!" The bird appeared into the air mid-flight. "Let's get started."

The Pokemon stared each other down, waiting for their trainer to give them the word. Neither one spoke for several seconds. "I'm not one to attack first," Luke called over.

"Good. I was just waiting for you to ask. Magikarp, into the water."

The fish dove down. Luke snarled. He was afraid of this. As long as Magikarp staid down, they wouldn't be able to do a thing. He tried to follow it, but soon lost it in the depths.

"Now Tackle!" Suddenly the Magikarp leapt out of the water, smashing full force into the bird.

"Pidgey!" The bird flew up and crashed into the ceiling. The bird twisted on the fall back and caught air, stabilizing its flight. "Nice job. Let's not fall for the again."

"Right!"

**So that we can get along with things, we shall skip to the end of this battle.**

Sarah stepped up the trainer's box. Luke was now on the bleachers, admiring his new badge. They had taken a short break for Misty's Pokemon to recover and were now ready to go.

"I'll start off with Magikarp!" Misty threw her pokeball into the air and the fish appeared.

"_Let's see. My Growlithe wouldn't do much here being a fire-type. That leaves me, Bulbasaur, and Rattata." _As excited as she was earlier, she was now kind of nervous about jumping in herself. It would probably be better to save herself as a back-up. She pulled out a pokeball. "Let's go, Bulbasaur." The green Pokemon leapt out and landed on one of the few platforms. "You remember what we pulled at the last gym?" He nodded. "Let's try doing the same thing here. Give it a Razor Leaf!"

Bulbasaur pulled back and flung his flower forward, releasing a rain of sharp leaves.

"Get underwater!" The Magikarp dove into the water, easily avoiding the leaves. "And tackle it!"

"Up to the ceiling!"

Just as the Magikarp appeared, Bulbasaur leapt into the air and pulled himself out of range, letting it fly underneath. "Great job! Charge up your Solar Beam!" Energy began to accumulate into Bulbasaur's bud and it grew yellow.

"That won't work. Underwater, Magikarp!" The fish vanished once again.

"We'll see about that. FIRE!" A tight beam of light flew out of the bulb and ripped into the water, sending waves everywhere. "Keep it going!"

Misty watched in mystified humor. What were they trying to do? They couldn't hit her Magikarp as long as it stayed down. She suddenly coughed and looked around. A mist was rising over the pool. Then she realized their plan.

Right away, the Magikarp began leaping out of the water, screaming "Hot! Hot! Hot!"

Bulbasaur fell and landed on his platform. "Haha. Sucker!"

"Now finish it with a Vine Whip!" The Magikarp came up on more time, and Bulbasaur sent it flying into the wall with a well-aimed slap. It lay still on the floor.

Misty called it back. "Nice planning. I've never seen that strategy used before."

"Well I usually like to think outside of the box."

"But you'll have to come up with something new, because that won't work again. Go Staryu!" An orange, star-shaped Pokemon came out and landed on a platform on the far end of the pool. "Do you want to switch Pokemon?"

"No thanks."

"Use Tackle, Staryu!" The star hopped into the air and began to spin wildly, flying straight at Bulbasaur.

The battle progressed quickly. Between Tackle and Swift, her Staryu had been able to knock out Bulbasaur in no time, and if it weren't for a few lucky hits, it would have taken out Lars. But her next Pokemon finished Lars off quickly, a powerful Seadra.

And so once again, Sarah was put on the spot. If she put Nina in to fight, she would be doomed by element advantage. The only other option she had was to go in herself. Oak had mentioned that she had some Pikachu DNA, so that would give her a monumental advantage if she could use electric attacks.

"What's your next Pokemon?" Misty asked from across the water. The Seadra sat in the water, waiting.

She sighed. "Guess I have no choice." Raising her voice, she called out for all to hear. "I call myself to the field!" As soon as she spoke, her body began to shrink. Long ears sprouted from her head while a jagged tail came from her rump. Yellow fur grew as well. When it was over, she climbed out of the clothes a Pikachu.

Misty and Luke stood/sat in stunned shock. The girl had vanished and was replaced by a Pikachu! Luke screamed on obscenity.

Sarah leapt onto the solid platform in the water. "Come on. Let's get this thing started!"

"Oh, it's already on," the Seadra answered.

Misty finally composed herself, though she was still incredibly baffled. "Well, I guess…technically you are a Pokemon, so the battle continues. Seadra, use Water Gun." The fish drew its head back and spit out a stream of water.

"_Perfect."_ Sarah reached down and wrapped her tiny fingers over the lip of the platform and began to draw electrical energy from her cheeks. The water stream hit her full force, but she held on and wasn't blown away. Then she released the energy into the water. Having only one path, the voltage traveled back along the water jet and coursed through the Seadra. The creature let out a howl as it was fried. The water stopped and the Seadra sank into the water.

Sarah shook herself off and jumped into the air. "I did it!" She jumped back onto the land. After crawling back into her clothes, she shifted back into her true human form. "That's three. Looks like I win!"

Misty recalled her Seadra. "It looks like you do." The walked around the edge of the pool and met with a handshake in the middle. "How did you do that?"

Sarah told the tale of the pill and its side effect. "I'm still nervous about it getting out, but I couldn't pass up this battle."

"You did well: as trainer and fighter."

"You were actually telling the truth," Luke said, who had been standing behind her. "I can't believe you were actually telling the truth."

"Oh, come on. Would I lie to a friend?" she asked with a smile. Luke laughed weakly and scratched the back of his head.

They had taken it surprisingly well, and Sarah was glad. They let the Pokemon out to recover and rest before all going for a swim. As they were enjoying the water, a Horsea came up and brushed against Sarah. She reached out and pet its head in return. As she did, she seemed to get an understanding for the creature. But not just of acquaintance. It was like she actually knew the Pokemon: its life, its soul, its being.

That gave her an idea. She swam down a bit, just deep enough so the others wouldn't see her. With a shrug, she loosed her swimsuit and morphed into a little Horsea. The swimsuit fell to the pool floor. She would collect it when she was finished.

Now a water Pokemon, Sarah could swim around without a need to surface for air. The thought of spending her whole life underwater intrigued her. She swam deeper, encountering more and more Pokemon. Goldeen, Seaking, Dewgongs, even a Gyradose passed her by. Each time, she changed her form, getting a feel for each body. Now, if she ever went against a fire gym, she would have a slew of choices.

When she had seen every Pokemon, she swam back to her swimsuit. After taking several deep breathes through her gills, she swam into the suit and changed to a human, where she propelled herself back up to the surface. When she broke it, the others were already on the bleachers drying off.

"There you are," Luke said as he brushed his hair. "We were starting to get worried."

She swam to the poolside. "I was down visiting the other Pokemon. I can change into other Pokemon just by being around them, so now I can become just about any water Pokemon."

"Wow," Misty said as she shouldered her towel. "It must have been great down there. Being able to swim forever without needing to breathe."

"It was awesome. To be honest, though, I think I'd prefer flying."

They all shared a laugh and split to change. Soon, it was time for the group to leave. Misty waved farewell as they walked off into the evening sun.

**A/N: So she's revealed her secret and the people accept her. Or…do they? Stick around.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**The Happening**

The group's next destination would be the port of Vermillion City. But the walk was a great one, which allowed them a lot of time for Sarah to train with her abilities. She found that by switching between Pokemon on the fly, she could completely change tactics and confuse the opponent.

Luke also improved in his skills as a trainer. By watching Sarah, he was able to learn several good moves and learned to predict attacks much better.

But more than their skills grew. Ever since the incident at the Cerulean Gym, Luke began to see that he could trust Sarah, and opened up little by little. In turn, Sarah found herself growing closer to him. The two would talk for hours on their journey, laughing and crying like they had known each other all of their lives.

The city slowly began to grow until it filled their southern view. The ocean shimmered like a diamond on the far side, a massive ship sitting peacefully in dock.

A large group of people was gathered at the edge of the city. When they two got closer, they could see that each one had a camera around their neck and they were talking excitedly amongst themselves.

"What do you think's going on?" Luke asked.

"Let's go ask them." Sarah approached the group and raised a hand. "Excuse me! What's with all the cameras?"

One of the men turned and pointed. "THERE SHE IS!" He quickly raised his camera and began snapping pictures. The others quickly began to shout and also take pictures. Sarah had to throw up her arms because the flashes were so bright and many. One short female came up and stuck a recorder into Sarah's face. "You're the girl who can change into Pokemon. How did you get this strange ability?"

"What?!" They knew? But how could it have spread this quickly? "I…I don't know what you're talking about."

The reporters began squeezing in closer. "What's it like conversing with Pokemon?" "Do you retain the Pokemon's abilities?" "Could you demonstrate for us?"

Sarah pushed her hands in front of her face, trying to keep them away. "Please, stop!" More flashed, more bodies pressing in. The lights were starting to blind her.

"Come on, girl. Give us a picture." A man grabbed her wrist and pulled it down before putting the camera right in her face and flashing her.

She screamed and pulled her arm back.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" A hand reached forward, grabbed the camera, and threw it to the ground, shattering the lens and spilling film onto the road. Sarah weakly looked back. Luke stood between her and the reporters, arms wide to protect her. All flashing and commotion ceased. "DON'T YOU DARE LAY ANOTHER HAND ON HER!"

Sarah looked at the back of his head and a tear fell from her eye. "Luke…"

"Are you kidding? She's the biggest story since the invention of the pokeball!" Suddenly, the bodies pressed in once again.

Sarah began to back away. "Follow me!" Luke grabbed her arm and charged, pushing several reporters out of the way, and broke through the circle before turning down a side alley. Some of the faster ones quickly gave chase.

She panted as she tried to keep up. "Luke, you didn't tell anyone, did you?"

Luke scanned the alley. "Of course not. I would never do that to you." This drew a smile from Sarah.

A reporter appeared from around a corner, camera ready. Luke dipped his shoulder and sent his into the wall. He turned back to her as they kept running. "You need to get out of here."

"But how am I going to do that?"

"Give me your bag." She shrugged it off and handed it up to him. "We'll slip into a side building. When we do, you change into some Pokemon and get away. Meet me at the Pokemon Center at the east edge of town."

"But Luke…"

"No questions!" He suddenly stopped and pulled open a metal door that led into a filthy blackness. He quickly threw her inside. "Get going!"

"Luke!"

She was too late. He slammed the door shut. Just then, more footsteps pounded outside and knocks rang against the metal. She took a step forward, about to go help him, when she heard a muffled cry through the metal. "Go!"

She stifled a cry and looked up at the ceiling. A small window was open on the far side of the room leading into the open sky. She leapt into the air and sprouted Pidgey wings, her clothes falling to the floor. No sooner had she left than the door banged open.

The reporters had refused to leave, even after Sarah's disappearance. If anything, it had fueled their curiosity. They had clambered around Luke asking question after question. It had taken him a few punches to convince them to leave.

Luke now walked slowly through the city. At times, he caught glimpses of more reporters who were obviously following in order to get to Sarah.

Looking up to the sky, he saw a large flock of Pidgey over the city. _"Excellent. No one would be able to pick her out from the rest."_

When he reached the Pokemon Center they were to meet at, he took a weary seat on the bench out front, bags placed next to him. He hoped that she would make it without being followed. They would have enough trouble with the ones who had followed him; they still peeped out of corners on occasion.

Then he noticed a small pile of newspapers next to the bench. The front picture caught his attention. It was of a strange creature, half human and half Pokemon. The caption above it read, "**Poke-morph spotted in Cerulean Gym!"** Luke grabbed the top paper and began reading the article. It looked pretty official, with quotes from Professor Oak and Misty. But the article made her look more look like a failed experiment than an actual person. He had to keep himself from tearing the paper to shreds.

A Rattata jumped up through the bars of the bench at sat beside him. He noticed it, but didn't look over. "If it's you, take your bag around back and change. I'll follow in a few minutes." The creature took the bag in its jaws and moved back into the trees behind the center.

He continued reading the paper like nothing had happened. Then he looked around and pretended to be confused before jogging out back. If he was lucky, it would throw them off.

Sarah was already waiting as he rounded the corner with a door open. "Come on. Nurse Joy said we can lay low here."

He went inside and handed her the paper. "Take a look at this."

She saw the article and snatched it up. He could see tears begin to swell in her eyes as she read through it. It was a good thing he hadn't torn it, because she did. He quickly wrapped her in his arms as the strips fell to the floor. "Hey, hey. Relax. Who cares what they say? We know it's not true."

"But they don't," she whimpered. "Now I'll never be able to go out in public again." They remained silent as she let herself cry.

A gentle knock broke the silence and Nurse Joy stuck her head in through the door. "Sarah, there's a reporter here who would like to do an interview with you."

Luke looked down at her. "You know, you can't run from this forever. Perhaps it would be better to get this all out now."

She looked back up at him. "Promise you'll be there for me?"

"Of course."

Sarah swept away a few tears and nodded. Nurse Joy turned and left. Luke led her to a nearby couch and they sat down as a short, slightly pudgy man in a black suit walked in with a pad and video camera. He sat the stuff down and came over, hand extended. "Hi. I'm Evan Stoner, Kanto News." He shook each hand, doing Sarah's gently. "Thank you for this exclusive interview."

"Before we begin," Luke interrupted, "you must promise me that nothing said here will be altered or used to make Sarah look like a monster or lab rat or anything."

"Of course," he said as he set up the camera. A small antenna rose up from the rear end and placed a boom mic around his ear. "Test, test. It looks like we are set to go. This is live interview with Sarah Adams, Evan Stoner reporting."

"Live interview?"

"Yep. We video, the signal goes to the station and they relay it to every television on the channel, all in a matter of seconds. So say hello to the world." She weakly held up a hand and waved. "Atta girl. Now, why don't we start by you telling us about how you first gained this intriguing ability?"

And so, the truth was known. The world finally knew about Sarah and her incredible gift. People came from all over to see her. Some came asking for help communicating with their Pokemon and they paid very well for her services. Others simply came to just see her whenever possible: in battles or just on the street. Sarah was finally starting to get used to this.

Professor Oak had been called out many times for more of the same pills, but the research was discontinued to stop the reporters and offers.

But there were other times when little children, and sometimes others, would accidentally call out, "Hey, look at the freak."

And then it seemed everything went back to the beginning. But they made progress and before too long, people came to accept her and moved on to new things.

The months quickly passed. Sarah and her team grew. Bulbasaur was still her first, with Lars and Nina, who was now an Arcanine. Along with them, she convinced a Geodude, now Graveller, and a Jolteon to join the team. (She was quite proud of herself for not having to actually capture a single one of them) The sixth place on the team she filled in herself if needed.

Luke soon became more than a close friend. Sarah loved every second they spent together alone. He was the one person that made her feel normal. And he returned her feelings of love.

But a big blow was just waiting to happen and didn't come till almost two years later.

**A/N: Yes, I realize I just skipped a bunch of possible story. But do you realize how long putting all that in would make this story?! I don't even want to think about it. So read and review.**

**Also, if you're enjoying Cursed Blessing, then check out my new Pokemon story: The Other Side of Life.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**The Time has Come**

**A/N: Everyone seems to think that something will backfire with her ability or Team Rocket will suddenly appear. Sadly, I'm not that clever nor do I want to take this story even deeper with another twist like that. That being said, you're probably wondering, "What could he possibly use for the climax?" Well, now's the time to find out!**

The time had finally arrived. The Grand Tournament was here. Only trainers with all eight badges were allowed to enter, making it the true challenge to win to be declared the best. But it wouldn't be easy, as a hundred entrants fought for contention.

Sarah herself had submitted an entrance form. She was guaranteed to get in. Since honing her skills, she had been undefeated for almost seven months in battle. The past two years of travelling and training had shaped her mind and body nicely, and Luke couldn't help but look.

He had also shaped up. His muscles had grown into a nice six pack and biceps that Sarah adored, but she kept that to herself.

The pair stood outside the Great Coliseum where the tournament was being held surrounded by other trainers and their Pokemon. The stone structure loomed over them, filling Sarah with a sense of awing accomplishment. When she won, no one would be able to call her a freak anymore.

"We've come a long way," Luke said looking over at her. She nodded. "You ready to do this?"

She clasped his hand and they walked in through the door.

A few other trainers she recognized waved with a smile. She returned the welcome thankfully.

A woman with a blue vest, signifying tournament staff, walked up to her. "Sarah?"

"Yes?"

"This letter is for you, from the Tournament Board." She held out a small envelope. Sarah took it and the woman bowed and left.

"The Board? I wonder what this is about?" She ripped open the letter and softly read.

Dear Ms Adams,

We regret to inform you that, due to aspects of your situation, you will not be able to participate in the Grand Tournament.

You have our dearest apologies. Best of luck with your future.

The Grand Tournament Board

A few tears began to fall as she froze in shock. Luke became worried and took the letter, reading it for himself. "I can't believe this!" He grabbed her hand. "Come on! We're going to have a talk with whoever is responsible for this!"

Sarah couldn't help but cry as he pulled her along. All the work she had gone through to have people accept her was worth nothing.

"We're truly sorry," the head member said from across the table. "But we feel that Sarah's…gift would give her an unfair advantage over the other trainers. It was this reason that we chose to remove her from the competition."

"But that's ridiculous," Luke screamed. "She's gotten this far on her own skills as a trainer. You have no right to make that kind of accusation."

"Relax, son. Sarah doesn't seem to mind."

To tell the truth, she had only been half listening. The nagging thought still took over her mind: she would never be normal. She was bound to being this freak for the rest of her life.

Luke took hold of her elbow gently. "Come on, Sarah," he whispered. "Don't you want this?"

"_What's the point? I can't escape it."_ She looked over the board, gave a short bow, and left, leaving Luke alone.

"You all should be ashamed! She spent years training and working to have people accept her! Now you've ruined all of her hard work! I hope you're happy." Luke turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Sarah collapsed into a chair in the lobby, sobbing quietly. The trainers gave her a small space and continued on as if she wasn't there. Luke came out and sat down beside her and pulled her close in a hug. "Don't worry, Sarah. It's just the bunch of them. Who cares what they say."

Sarah pulled back. "I care and the world cares. I can't participate in the tournament because of them. And because of that accusation, no one will want to battle me." She went back to sobbing.

"Do you honestly believe that? You think the world will change their view because of only a few people?" She didn't answer him. "You need to accept that there will always be people who will not accept you. But then you need to accept that they don't matter. Forget what they say; they don't know you like I know you." She looked at him with tear-filled eyes. "And I know that you are better than any other human being on this planet."

She smiled. "Thank you, Luke. I really needed that."

"WOULD ALL TOURNAMENT ENTRANTS PLEASE REPORT TO THE FIELD. ALL ENTRANTS TO THE FIELD."

He took her hand one last time. "I have to go."

She pulled him in to a hug and kissed his cheek. "Good luck. We'll be watching."

He patted her hand one last time and went out into the sunlight with the others.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is Eric Sparks reporting live from the Grand Tournament. We've got a great line-up this year, including hundreds of the world's toughest trainers and the famous Elite Four. A bit of bad news, also-famous trainer Sarah "Shaiya" Adams will not be participating this year. What a shame. I for one was looking forward to seeing her in action."

Sarah smiled at the compliment. The television reporter continued through the opening ceremony, giving stats on a few key players including Lance, head of the Elite Four after winning the previous tournament five years ago. He was placed as being the most likely to win this year as well.

After the opening ceremonies, the first rounds began.

Luke started off calling out his Pikachu. His opponent, a young boy, chose to use a Sandshrew. It was a good choice. The Sandshrew's ground attribute would reduce the effect of Pikachu's electrical attacks.

"Nice match. Pikachu, start off with a Tackle, just to warm up." The Pikachu charged forward.

"Dig, Sandshrew!" The small Pokemon disappeared into the ground. Pikachu stopped and looked around, totally confused. "Now charge!" The Sandshrew charged up and nailed Pikachu right in the chest.

Pikachu took the hit, but swung in with his paws, grabbing the shrew tightly by the head. Sandshrew suddenly became scared and started flailing.

"Great job, Pikachu. Now Thunder!"

"Say goodnight!" A great bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and coursed through the Sandshrew. It shook violently for several seconds before collapsing.

The rest of the battle passed quickly. That night, Luke and Sarah sat in her hotel room, talking about the battles. The next round would put Luke against a trainer of grass Pokemon. "You know, Nana would do really well against those grass Pokemon. Why don't you use her?"

"Am I allowed to do that?"

"Yeah. I read over the rulebook. Line changes are allowed to be made between battles. And there aren't any rules against using another trainer's Pokemon."

"Sweet. Yeah, I'll definitely use her."

Sarah got Nana's pokeball and called her out. The canine took up a good part of the room. "Nana, you're going to be helping Luke in his battles tomorrow."

"Sure." Nana had really grown from the scared puppy Sarah had found her as. She was now a ferocious fighting machine.

"Great." Nana was called back into her ball and she handed her to Luke. He took a ball off his belt and replaced it with Nana's.

The clouds parted and Sarah looked up into the sky to view an almost perfect full moon. Luke caught her gaze and followed it up into the sky. "It's that time, isn't it?"

She nodded, her body already beginning to shrink. Every month, from a night before to the night or two after the full moon, she would be forced into her Bulbasaur form during the night.

"It's funny. How the tournament is set on these exact days." He looked down at her. "You look really beautiful in the moonlight."

She smiled and blushed, hoping her green skin would mask the discoloration. In her mind, she knew that he was only trying to make her feel better from what had happened earlier. She didn't tell him, but it worked.

"Well, I'm going to get some sleep. Tomorrow starts the biggest part of the tournament." He stood up and left, closing the door behind him.

Sarah jumped up onto the bed, turned once, and settled down against the pillow.

Instantly her mind began to wander as it always did in the minutes before sleep took her. The tournament brought up memories of the journey she had shared with Luke and her Pokemon, all the way back to her first conversation with Bulbasaur and the Pidgeotto in the woods. The mental trip continued: her first transformation, her first battle, her secret finally being set free. So many pleasant memories; she smiled to herself. And today…

Tears wet the pillow beneath her head.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Defiance**

**A/N: I don't know whether to applaud your smarts or kick myself repeatedly for being so transparent. Several of you accurately guessed the big twist! But whether you did or not, read on.**

Sarah mostly sat around the next day. She would occasionally watch a match or two, especially when Luke's came up, or spar with one of her Pokemon, but mostly she was bored. On top of that, her mind wouldn't let go of the Board's decision.

Luke was doing better. He was on a winning streak, even defeating last year's second place finisher in the third round. At the end of the day, there were only two people left, Luke and the previous champ Lance. The finals would go down the next day.

That night, the moon once again changed her into a Bulbasaur. She and her Bulbasaur had a sort of tradition that on the night of the full moon, the two of them would go and wander wherever they were at the time.

He had suggested they sneak into the Coliseum. A small latch had been left open on a side door, letting to two in.

The full moon shown into the massive arena. Sarah lay on her back next to Bulbasaur, both enjoying the glow and calm. "You know, I really wish I could have participated in this tournament."

"Me too. But you don't always get what you want."

"Yeah. But still…"

They lay in relative silence for several minutes until Bulbasaur broke it. "What exactly did those guys say?"

"'I'm not allowed to enter the tournament because my gifts would give me an unfair advantage as a trainer.' Why?"

"Well, I'm no human, but I can still find a loop-hole." He twisted over and started running for the arena wall. "Come on. I'll explain on the way."

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Luke screamed after Sarah finished relaying Bulbasaur's plan. Another little trick she learned: the ability to speak human while in Pokemon form.

"It's so simple, I don't know why I didn't think of it myself."

"And this way you can participate in the tournament," Bulbasaur put it.

"There's no way I'm going to let you fight on my team! You'll get killed if your not careful!"

"I would put myself in that danger anyway if I were allowed to enter."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to have you risk your life on my account."

She sighed and jumped up next him and placed her paw on his hand. "You once told me that you wouldn't help someone that wouldn't help themselves. Well now I'm willing to do something. Please, let me do this."

Even in the darkness, he saw her sorrow in her eyes. She really wanted this, more than he could ever understand. "Alright."

Sarah whooped for joy. She jumped up onto his lap and gave him a kiss on the cheek, or the best kiss she could given her state.

"Alright, alright." He nudged her off gently. "I guess I could use the help. Lance isn't going to be easy."

The next morning, the pair walked down the dim hallway towards the arena. The crowd outside roared with applause as Lance entered from the opposite side. She stopped and turned him around. "Luke, thank you for letting me do this."

He smiled warmly. That smile of hers made him melt every time. "You know, I'm really proud of you."

"Proud of me? Why?"

"You've finally accepted your gift, regardless of what those jerks have to say about it." She looked down and blushed. "No matter what happens out there, you've already won your battle."

"_Hm. _ Thanks. That means so much."

He placed a hand around the back of her head and leaned in for a kiss. But he didn't go for the cheek. This time, his lips met her front and center. She closed her eyes, coming in to meet him. The roars and hollers faded as the couple was lost in their first kiss.

The couple finally broke when the PA interrupted. "And now, the young trainer that took everyone by surprise this year…"

"That's my queue."

Sarah's lips were still tingling from the contact. "Do you're best."

"You know I do." He kissed her one last time and walked out into the sunlight, another roar meeting him.

She stayed back in the shadows, just far enough that people couldn't see her, yet she could see the battle outside. After a few formalities, Luke and Lance exchanged handshakes and threw their first Pokeballs, officially beginning the match.

Sarah watched the battle carefully, as much as for knowledge as support. Lance was an extremely skilled trainer. He knew exactly how to switch from offense to defense and back all without breaking stride. Fighting him was going to be a challenge she would relish.

And even though Lance had more experience, Luke's training with Sarah was helping him stay toe-to-toe with him. He knew exactly how to counter his moves and come back with his own. His Pokemon, and Nana, performed admirably.

But still, Lance's experience won out. Luke was now down two Pokemon to one. The current challenging Pokemon, a Dragonair, was fairly weak from its bout, and so would be simple to knock out. But Sarah feared for what would come next. No one had yet to eliminate more than four of Lance's line-up.

Now was the moment of truth. Luke called back Nana and attached the ball to his belt. "For my final choice…" He paused for dramatic effect, which he occasionally like to do in moments of high tension.

Sarah clenched her fists and breathed deeply.

"I call out Shaiya!"

She looked out and walked calmly out into the light.

The crowd gasped and then was silent. Sarah moved to stand beside Luke.

The two looked out at the crowd for a moment. At first, no one answered back. Then, very slowly, a clapping formed and grew into applause.

"This is incredible!" the announcer called over the PA. "I was told that Sarah "Shaiya" Adams wouldn't be in this tournament. But now here she stands not as a trainer, but as another trainer's choice for a combatant. This tournament is going to go down is history, folks."

Suddenly the audience quieted as the ref on the sidelines crossed the two flags over his head, the sign that the match was currently put on hold. He turned to Sarah and Luke. "I'm sorry, Ms. Adams. But you were previously disqualified from this tournament. Therefore Mr. Anderson, you must choose another combatant or also be disqualified."

"Actually, the ruling was that I could not enter as a trainer. As you can see, I'm not here as a trainer."

"And using another trainer's Pokemon is not against tournament rules. We see this as an extension of that rule."

The ref grimaced. They had studied. He had secretly hoped that Sarah would somehow show up and he personally saw no harm in letting them continue. But even then, he had the Board President screaming in his earpiece. "NO! You get her out right now! DO YOU HEAR ME?! NOW!"

He looked at the pair again, to Lance, and up at the crowd. They all waited in anticipating silence. "Very well. The match shall continue!"

The audience screamed. And so did the president. "WHAT?! YOU'RE GOING AGAINST BOARD ORDERS!"

The ref reached up and shut off the earpiece. "Sarah Adams, just for formal rules, you may only enter the field once in Pokemon form."

She nodded. Crouching down, she focused her mind and shifter. When she shrugged off her clothes, she stood as a Pikachu. "Nice choice," Luke said from above her. "But watch. This Dragonair is fast."

"Got it." Sarah sprinted onto the grass field on all fours. A lingering fear stuck in the back of her head, but that was normal.

When she reached her starting point, Lance finally addressed her. "Well, if it isn't Sarah "Shaiya" Adams. I was really disappointed when I was told you wouldn't be here. This is going to be a battle I will treasure."

"Same here."

He smiled. "Good. May the best trainer win!"

Sarah smirked and said softly to herself, "I intend to."

**A/N: Why would you be so stupid as to leave now?! Don't you dare miss the exciting conclusion!!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**For Honor! For Glory! For Equality!**

**Legal junk: I don't own Pokemon. I own Sarah, Luke, and the plot.**

Sarah decided to start off easy, just to see what the Dragonair was capable of. She shot out a Thunderbolt towards it. It spun in a circle and the electricity passed right in the gap.

"TACKLE!" The serpent charged. Sarah ducked into a Weedle form and rolled to the side, re-growing as a Pikachu as she came up.

"Wow. What a great move by Shaiya, using her gift to make herself a small target." The crowd cheered.

Sarah shot another Thunderbolt, but the Dragonair swerved in midair again, dodging. _"She's too slippery. I need some way to hold her down."_

"USE ICE BEAM!" Dragonair shot out a stream of ice from her forehead.

Acting almost on instinct, Sarah morphed into an Arcanine and unleashed a Flamethrower. The fire melted through the Ice Beam and struck the Dragonair hard. It faltered in the air and fell slightly. Seeing her chance, she changed into a Bulbasaur and charged, bringing out two vines. They shot out and wrapped around the Dragonair, holding it tight. Then she half-morphed, creating a strange-looking Pikachu/Bulbasaur hybrid. While the vines held the eel-like Pokemon, she released her electric energy, which traveled down the vines and through the Dragonair.

It howled for a moment and collapsed to the ground.

"DRAGONAIR IS UNABLE TO BATTLE. THE ROUND GOES TO SHAIYA!"

The crowd cheered again. "Truly spectacular! Creating a unique Pokemon to knock away the Dragonair! You'll never see another fight like this one."

Sarah returned to her starting Pikachu form and returned to the starting place as Lance called back the Dragonair. "Well, done, Ms. Adams. Very clever."

"You alright, Sarah?" Luke asked from behind her.

"I'm fine. A bit tired, but not enough to slow me."

"Too bad," Lance interrupted. "Because I don't think even your best would be enough to defeat my last Pokemon." He threw out his final Pokeball. A tall orange creature came out of the light and roared.

Sarah looked up in semi-fear. It was a Dragonite, one of the toughest Pokemon known to man. In a glance, she saw everything about it: from its bone structure to its muscle mass to its thought patterns. Focusing on that image, she copied it over her own body. To a great gasp from the crowd, she stood just as tall, herself now a Dragonite.

"Huh. So, we're going to have a dragon duel, are we?"

"No," she said as she changed back to her mouse form. "I just like trying out new Pokemon I come across."

"Shame. You could have used the dragon's strength."

"You know what they say. The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

"But you must topple it first. Dragonite, use Whirlwind." The great beast began flapping its tiny wings and created a surprisingly strong gust of wind.

"_Flying. Use rock."_ As the wind reached her, she morphed into a Golem. Her added weight kept her planted as the wind continued rushing by.

"Keep it up, Dragonite."

"_Idiot."_ She took a quick step forward, then another and another. Soon, she was in a run pushing aside the headwind as if it were only a breeze. She dove and tucked in her limbs, going into a rolling Tackle.

Unlike the Dragonair, the Dragonite was much slower and couldn't react as quickly. She jumped up as she got close and pounded the orange creature in the chest.

It stumbled, the wind finally stopping, but quickly composed itself. It was strong.

She stood up as a Snorlax and grabbed its shoulders, hoping to lift it and Body Slam it. But the Dragonite copied her set-up. The two became stuck in a sumo-showdown.

"Dragonite, Hyper Beam!" The creature opened its mouth and began to draw in energy.

She yelped and shifted quickly, falling as a Weedle as the beam shot inches over her head. Lance hadn't expected that, and she was going to make him pay. She landed into a crouching Hitmonchan and focused her energy to her fist. It became an icy blue, the air around it suddenly growing cold. It was a dragon's one true weakness: ice.

The orange beam finally vanished. In the second it took for the Dragonite to regain itself, she jumped up and sent the Ice Punch into the creature's chin. The massive beast was lifted up into the air and landed with a hard smash.

"Very nice," Lance called as the Dragonite rose to its feet. "But we're not done yet. Double Team!" Without appearing to move, the Dragonite flew to the side and around her. Suddenly half a dozen copies of the same creature surrounded her.

Now Sarah was shocked. _"Dragonite shouldn't be able to move that fast!"_

"SARAH, LOOK OUT!" Too late. The Dragonite rushed up from behind and grabbed her.

"Now Body Slam!" The dragon flapped up into the air. Sarah began to panic and tried to do something. But her mind wouldn't focus right; she couldn't shift! Suddenly the Dragonite fell, with her between it and the ground. The impact was hard. Sarah could feel several ribs crack and let out a pained scream.

"SARAH!" Luke started out to get her, pure terror seizing his heart.

"No!" the ref called. "If you go onto the field she will be disqualified."

Luke froze and waited. Slowly, the Dragonite stood and moved out of the way.

Sarah lay motionless. She had gone back to her human self and gave absolutely no sign that she was even alive.

Nobody moved or said a word for several seconds. Slowly, the ref started to raise his red flag. "Shaiya is unable to battle. The match goes to…"

"Stop." Moving slowly, she moved her arm under her and began to push herself up. One of her ribs shifted, causing her to scream again. Luke started to go after her. "No, Luke." He stopped. "I started this…let me finish."

"Sarah, you're crazy! If you keep going, you'll kill yourself!"

She stood up straight, keeping one arm over her chest. "Maybe that's the case…but I…still have one move left."

"…No. You can't!" He ran out into the field. Three feet in, he stopped and was forcefully shoved back.

Sarah eyes glowed blue with psychic energy. "No. I'm going to do this. I don't care anymore. I was given this gift, and I will use it!"

Her body once again began changing. Her muscles moved under skin that had become a whitish-purple. Her spine and legs lengthened, toes and fingers shrinking to stubs with great orbs for ends. A thick purple tail grew from her rear and her ears were replaced with strong bone studs. Her face became flat and emotionless.

Her whole body became a Pokemon like none had ever seen. Lance, who was struck with awed fear, chanced to ask. "W…what are you?"

Her form didn't have any vocal chords, but its mind was so powerful that she simply projected her thoughts into every mind in the stadium. _"This is the culmination of every Pokemon known to man: the greatest form of sentient being. And it will be your undoing."_

Her arms began to move in wide arcs. As her hands passed through the air, energies began to appear and form, each one a different color. There was white, blue, purple, green, every color of the rainbow flowed around her body. Every element was being pulled together for one attack.

A pang of pain struck Sarah's chest. She grunted and pushed it aside. She had to focus on the energy. But the pain grew. It hurt to breathe, hurt to move. She continued on through agony.

Finally the lights formed a perfect circle in front of her. Sarah held her arms outstretched, ready for the final blow.

Luke watched in awe of Sarah's power. A strange feeling crossed his mind and Sarah's voice spoke. _"Luke, whatever happens…I love you."_

"Sarah…SARAH, NO!"

She thrust her arms forward with a scream. At the speed of light, too fast for any to see but herself, the energy rushed forward and crashed over the Dragonite. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the Dragonite slowly teetered and fell.

Sarah grinned to herself and the pain returned redoubled. She clutched her stomach as she fell to her knees, changing back to a human at the same time. Her world spun, making her nauseous. Gravity pulled her back. But instead of hitting the earth, something soft caught her. She didn't have to look to know if was Luke. He was crying, for tears struck her face. He was saying something about not leaving.

Just before she passed on, she gently whispered, "Goodbye…Luke."

**A/N: (****T.T) **_**Sniff.**_** So sad. (**_**blows nose on handkerchief)**_

**But anyway, that's that. I hope you all enjoyed the story. Let me know in your review! And be sure to add this to your favorites and alert list!**


	12. Conclusion

Conclusion:

**Conclusion:**

**Four Days Later**

**A/N: What? Did you honestly think I would end the story like that? Wow, you guys are gullible. And I hate those kinds of endings as much as I'm sure you do. Anyway, here's the FINAL ending.**

**And for those who are slightly slow and couldn't figure it out, that Pokemon she became in the final fight was in fact Mewtwo.**

Sarah was surprised when her eyes fluttered back open. She looked around. The room was completely white save for a few posters about health. Machines beeped every few seconds. A tube ran from a bag on a post down into her arm. She realized that she was in a hospital.

Even weirder was that Luke sat in a chair next to her bed with his head down on his arm, snoring loudly. "Luke?"

His head shot up. "Wha…? What's that?" He saw Sarah was up. "Sarah! Oh, thank God you're awake!" He came in to hug her, but moving made her gasp. He moved back. "Oh, sorry."

"Its ok," she said back, holding her chest. "What happened?"

"You were badly injured during that last fight. You almost killed yourself! But the doctors got you into surgery just in time. You had three broken ribs, internal bleeding, and a major drop in your energy level."

"Maybe I should be dead," she said back with a weak laugh. "Did I win?"

He laughed. "Well, I won technically. You, on the other hand, have been banned from the tournament in every way because of you being too strong for the other competitors."

She shared a laugh with him. "You know what? I don't care anymore. I don't care what anyone says. If they have a problem with what I do, it's theirs, not mine."

"I'm glad to hear that. Because reporters have been begging for your interview ever since you got out of surgery."

Sarah smiled despite the intense pain in her chest. "Well, let 'em in. I'm through with hiding."

One by one, the reporters came in, asking questions and taking pictures. After a few hours, Sarah got tired, and Luke forced the ones still there to leave.

She lay back on the pillow. She then realized that none of them had actually asked about her gift. Most of the questions had been about her life and plans for the future, none specifically about her being a Pokemon.

For the first time in her mind, she drifted off to sleep a normal human being.

**A/N: There you go. Is that ending much better? It better be. So now you can write your final reviews. Even if you don't or just didn't like reading it, thank you for sticking through to the end. You've been a beautiful audience: a great audience that has turned this story into my most popular! THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**In fact, this story was so popular that I am now in the early stages of a sequel! Have thoughts or suggestions? Hit me with a PM. But save suggestions for the PM and don't clog up the reviews with them. Thanks for the cooperation.**


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